Gosanimari

Gosanimari
Village
Gosanimari Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Gosanimari Location in India Show map of India
Coordinates: 26°01′55″N89°29′02″E / 26.032°N 89.484°E / 26.032; 89.484 Coordinates: 26°01′55″N89°29′02″E / 26.032°N 89.484°E / 26.032; 89.484
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Cooch Behar
Population  (2011)
• Total	6,410
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	WB
Lok Sabha constituency	Cooch Behar
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Sitai
Website	coochbehar.gov.in

Gosanimari (also known as Khalisa Gosanimari) is both a village and an archaeological site in Dinhata I CD block, in the Dinhata subdivision of the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, north-eastern India. The name of this site was taken from the modern grampanchyat name of the Dinhata subdivision.

Geography

[Interactive fullscreen map]

Places in the Tufanganj and Dinhata subdivisions (except Sitai CD block) in Cooch Behar district
CT: census town, M: municipal town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical/ religious centre
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Location

Gosanimari is located at 26°01′55″N89°29′02″E / 26.032°N 89.484°E / 26.032; 89.484 .

Area overview

The map alongside shows the eastern part of the district. In Tufanganj subdivision 6.97% of the population lives in the urban areas and 93.02% lives in the rural areas. In Dinhata subdivision 5.98% of the population lives in the urban areas and 94.02% lives in the urban areas. ^[1] The entire district forms the flat alluvial flood plains of mighty rivers. ^[2]

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Excavation

A fountain in the mound at Rajpat

Excavation Site

The site contains ruins of Rajpat which served as the capital of Kamata kingdom, ^{[3] [4]} occupying a large area of ancient Kamarupa and Vanga.

Excavation history

Dr. Buchanan Hamilton in 1808 had left a vivid description along with a sketch of the mound and site which still hold good in authenticity. According to Dr. R.D. Banerjee, Kamata kingdom stood as buffer between eastern Kamrupa and the Bengal Sultanate in the 15th century CE. He is of the opinion that the Khens might have built Gosanimari, but it is also possible that these Mongoloid people only used the ruins of fortification which had been built several centuries earlier. After the independence Archaeological Survey of India took over the responsibility of this site. ^[5]

Findings

It is believed parts of the ancient kingdoms important temples and buildings are now buried under a large grass grown mound. So far two large stone wells have been excavated, along with a large stone walls and a number of idols too. Pottery work includes vases, bowls, basin, dish, beaker etc. The facial and physiognomical delineation indicate the idols are the products of c. 11th and 12th century AD and influenced by Pala-Sena school of art. ^[5]

Rulers

In 1260, it became the seat of power of Kamata ruler Sandhya, who shifted his capital from Kamarupanagara (present-day North Guwahati) due to the frequent clashes he faced from the Kacharis from the south-east border in what is modern-day Assam. ^[6] Later it was held by the Khen dynasty until 1498 AD, when Hussein Shah of Gaur unsurp power by defeating Nilambar of Kamata. From the early 16th century, it was ruled by the Koch dynasty founded by Biswa Singha. ^[7]

When the English came along they Anglicized the term Koch to Cooch, hence the name Cooch Behar State.^{[ citation needed ]}

Culture

Kamteswari temple

The Kamteswari temple was built by Maharaja Pran Narayan in 1665.

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, Khalisa Gosanimari had a total population of 6,410. There were 3,295 (51%) males and 3,115 (49%) females. There were 788 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Khalisa Gosanimari was 3,993 (71.02% of the population over 6 years). ^[8]

Healthcare

Gosanimari Block Primary Health Centre, with 30 beds at Gosanimari, is the major government medical facility in the Dinhata I CD block. ^[9]

References

1. "District Statistical Handbook 2013 Cooch Behar". Tables 2.2, 2.4b. Department of Planning and Statistics, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
2. "District Census Handbook, Koch Bihar, Series 20, Part XIIA" (PDF). Census of India 2011, pages 17-21 Physical feafures. Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
3. "Gosanimari". dooarstours.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
4. Excavation at Rajpat Mound, 1998-2000 (PDF). Archaeological Survey of India.
5. Excavation at Rajpat mound (PDF).
6. Capt. Nalini Ranjan Ray. Koch Rajbanshi And Kamatapur The Truth. Unveiled (2007). p. 29. Retrieved 1 May 2019. In the year 1260, Sandhya shifted his capital from present day Guwahati to Kamtapur in present day Cooch Behar. This change he made was to avoid frequent skirmishes created by the neighbouring Kacharis along the southeastern border and to facilitate the king to effectively engage the invading Muslim rulers from south-western states.
7. "Traders cry for tourism tag". The Telegraph. 25 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
8. "C.D. Block Wise Primary Abstract Data(PCA)". West Bengal – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
9. "Health & Family Welfare Department" (PDF). Health Statistics – Rural Hospitals. Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 29 July 2020.